


Bittersweet

by QueenSnailGoddess147



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Chloe befriends Lucifer, Chloe comforts him, F/M, Fluff and Angst, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, Lucifer is punk, Lucifer's parents suck, Protective Chloe Decker, Punk!Lucifer Morningstar, everyone is human, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-23 14:44:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14334729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenSnailGoddess147/pseuds/QueenSnailGoddess147
Summary: After meeting a odd boy with smudged eyeliner at her school dance, she decides to befriend him. She doesn't know what it is about him, but she feels herself drawn to him. Despite the fact that he's awkward and closed off. Not to mention his obvious trust issues. Chloe just... Feels the needs to help him, to be there for him no matter what.





	1. Strawberry Milkshake

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always a sucker for High School AU's, so I just had to write one for these two! Hope you enjoy!

Chloe had never wanted to go to this dance in the first place. She would have much preferred staying home and going to bed early, but her mother had insisted that she should go. She had never been to a dance before then, despite it being her senior year, so she really didn’t see the point in going to one now. She felt like perhaps it just wasn’t her style. Much like how she claimed that acting wasn’t her style, but her mother still insisted her daughter would be a great actress, as she was a great actress herself. 

She let out a heavy sigh as she awkwardly pulled her dress down, frowning at how short it was. It was the winter formal, so she would have preferred to wear something a bit warmer, but a short, red, floral dress had been the only appropriate thing she had in her closet. At least it had long sleeves, she supposed. Although, the sleeves didn’t help to keep her exposed legs warm. She frowned as she leaned heavily against the wall. Both of her only friends at the dance had left her to go actually dance. Both Ella and Dan had tried to get her onto the dance floor, but she had refused. Chloe just hated dancing, especially with all these people around. She just wished she had stayed home, read her book, and went to bed early. 

The girl pulled out her phone for the convenient pockets the dress had, in hopes to pass time at a quicker pace. She looked for any unanswered messages, disappointed to find none. Of course, her only two friends were there at the dance with her. She frowned and glanced to where they were both smiling and dancing next to one another. She wished they would’ve just settled for sitting with her in the corner and drank shitty punch with her. 

Chloe snapped herself out of her thoughts when she noticed someone else leaned up against the same wall, only a few feet from her. She watched as he glanced to her a few times. She blinked a bit, not recognizing him, but he looked a bit familiar. She had probably seen him around the school a few times, she reasoned. 

“It would be better with a mosh pit.” He stated, his face completely serious as he continued. “Don’t you agree?” He asked, his voice thick with an accent that had her taken aback for a few moments. 

Chloe let out a soft, weak chuckle and shook her head, giving him a confused look. Now that she really looked at him, he wasn’t wearing anything formal. Instead, he had black ripped jeans, a black t-shirt, and a worn leather jacket over his t-shirt. Under his eyes, there was smudged eyeliner, along with under eyebags. “Excuse me?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She watched as he took a few steps closer to her, moving to stand a foot in front of her instead. She eyed him cautiously. She didn’t trust the people at this school, the majority of them being annoying or fake. 

He smirked softly. “It would be better with a mosh pit.” He repeated. “You know, people acting wildly? Jumping about? Causing harm to one another?” He asked, tilting his head. 

She nodded her head softly. “Yeah, I know what a mosh pit is.” She said with a small frown. “I just want to know why you think one would make this,” She gestured around the gym. “Better.” 

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “It would be more exciting, I suppose.” He said with a shrug, pausing before he held out a hand. “I’m Lucifer. Lucifer Morningstar.” He introduced.

Chloe blinked a bit, surprised by his odd name. It quite obviously wasn’t his real name, but she hesitantly reached out to shake his hand anyways. “Chloe Decker.” She said in return. 

Lucifer hummed softly as he looked over her features. “Decker?” He asked. “Is your mother Penelope Decker, by any chance?” He asked curiously. 

“Sadly.” She replied, frowning as she took her hand back and crossed her arms. 

“Sadly?” He repeated, looking confused as he looked into her eyes. “But your mother is a star.” 

Chloe shrugged. “A star that wants me to be a star as well.” She stated, glancing to look into his eyes. 

Lucifer paused as he thought. “... And you don’t want to follow in her footsteps?” He asked, though he knew the answer to his question already. “I understand.” He said before she could say anything in response. 

Chloe looked confused for a few moments, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She looked down to her feet to avoid looking into his eyes. “How could you understand?” She asked with a scoff. 

He seemed to hesitate before he shrugged his shoulder. “I understand what it’s like to have a parent that wants you to be something that you aren’t.” He answered softly.

She looked to him again and saw his gaze was off to the side, focused on something that wasn’t her, and she couldn’t help but be curious to what he was looking at. “Do you wanna get out of here?” She suddenly asked, surprising herself at her boldness. “I mean,” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Do you wanna go get something to eat?” She asked, deciding the first question could mislead him. 

Lucifer looked to her, obviously surprised by her question. He slowly nodded his head. “Sure.” He replied, and followed her as she began walking towards one of the gym doors. He followed her out into the cold winter air, watching as she shivered softly. He hesitated before slipping off his leather jacket and reached forwards, wrapping it around her shoulders.

Chloe jumped a bit and turned around to look to him, that being the last thing she expected.

“You looked cold.” He blurted before she could question him, and she slowly nodded her head. 

“Thank you…” She said softly, giving him a small, grateful smile to show that she appreciated his action. Though, she suddenly felt bad that he didn’t have a jacket now, exposed to the harsh winter weather. “But you need to stay warm, too.” She stated. 

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I have a jacket in my car I can wear.” He said, waving her off and started walking again. She followed him, allowing him to lead her to his car. He politely opened the passenger side door, smirking to her as she raised an eyebrow. “Get in, darling.” He prompted. 

“Don’t be creepy.” She said, getting into the car anyways, watching as he closed the door for her and continued to watch as he walked over to the other side and got in the driver’s seat besides her. 

“I’m not trying to be creepy.” He stated, pulling out the keys from his pocket before he started the car. “Just trying to be polite.” He said softly and glanced to her. 

Chloe nodded her head. “Okay.” She said softly and let out a soft sigh. She looked around the car, surprised to find it kept clean. Most teenage boys had messy cars, garbage thrown here and there, but his was spotless. She could only image how neat his room was. “Is this your parent’s car?” She asked suddenly, realizing that the car was not only spotless, but also expensive.

Lucifer frowned a bit and shook his head. “No.” He answered, putting the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space before he shifted it and drove off out of the parking lot. “Where do you want to go?” He asked, not bothering to look over to her, instead focusing on the road. 

Chloe looked over to him, her eyes focused on him, looking over his features. She found him to be quite attractive, but also a little odd. He seemed like one of those loner kids that would smoke pot under the bleachers and get in trouble for stupid shit. “The diner?” She asked softly.

He smiled and nodded his head. “Sounds lovely.” He stated and drove in the direction of the small diner that was by their school. It was only a few minutes from the school, so soon enough he was pulling into the mostly vacant parking lot of the diner. After parking, they both got out of the vehicle. 

She watched as he took an extra couple of seconds to grab an extra sweatshirt from the back of his car, slipping it over his head. She didn’t question the big ‘666’ on the front of it, or how it said ‘WORSHIP THE DEVIL’ on the back in large, bleeding letters. Chloe pulled his leather jacket tighter over her, covering her front with it and hurried into the diner, Lucifer not too far behind her. She lead him to a table in the back, away from the majority of the people, despite there not being a lot of people there in the first place. That was probably due to the fact that it was nearing ten at night. She smiled as she slipped into one side of the booth, watching as he slipped into the opposite. 

Lucifer let out a sigh as he sat down, his hands buried deep in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. 

Chloe let her eyes wander down to the front of the sweatshirt and smirked a bit. “Quite cliche for the Devil to be wearing that, don’t you think?” She teased lightly, only going along with the Devil thing for the sake of a joke. She didn’t actually think he was, or that Lucifer was even his real name. 

Lucifer chuckled softly, leaning forwards to eye her oddly. “A bit.” He admitted, pausing slightly. “Most people are turned off by it.” He stated. “... It doesn’t freak you out?” He asked curiously.

She shook her head lightly. “Trust me, I’ve met a lot weirder people than you.” She said with a small smile. “If you don’t mind me asking…. Lucifer isn’t your real name, is it?” She asked curiously, deciding if she didn’t ask now the curiosity would eat her alive. 

He glanced away from her, a bit awkwardly. “No, it’s not.” He rolled his shoulders a bit, looking suddenly uncomfortable, and she sort of regretted asking the question. Lucifer seemed to instantly be shutting down at the question, avoiding her gaze and not continuing to speak. 

“Hey,” She said, suddenly leaning forwards and placed her hands on the table, trying to get his attention back to her. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. You don’t have to.” She shook her head softly. “I’m sorry.” She apologized. “I was just curious.” 

He hesitantly looked back to her, pausing for a few moments before he nodded his head softly. “Okay.” He said and let out a sigh. 

Suddenly, she realized just how vulnerable he looked in the baggy sweatshirt, his eyes peeking up to look to her. He was still looking at her nervously, as if he was debating whether or not to leave. It was as if he had no trust for anyone, like she would turn around and hurt him. 

“I have an audition for a new role in a week.” She blurted, hoping to change the subject and avert his mind off of the last conversation. She wanted him to be comfortable, and to be able to be himself around her. “My mom’s going to star in the movie, but she’s trying to have me get a part in it too.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t really want to.” She admitted.

Lucifer smiled softly, grateful for the change in subject. “Then you shouldn’t go.” He suggested, leaning forwards. He slipped his hands out of his pocket and folded them on the table in front of them. “Rebel, perhaps?”

Chloe chuckled softly. “Maybe if I had the balls.” She said and shook her head. “I love my mom to death, but acting just isn’t for me.” 

He nodded his head, about to say something else when a waitress finally approached their table. 

She had her brunette hair pulled back into a tight pony tail, an obviously fake smile on her face. “What’ll you two be having tonight?” she asked, holding out a small notepad and pen in front of her. 

Lucifer glanced to the waitress before he looked to Chloe. “I’ll take a strawberry milkshake.” He stated as he looked back to the waitress.

She nodded and scribbled a few words down onto the notepad before looking to Chloe, an eyebrow raised. 

Chloe cleared her throat. “Just a coffee.” She said with a small smile. She watched as the waitress scribbled what she assumed was the word ‘coffee’ onto the notepad before walking away from them. She looked back to Lucifer. “I didn’t peg you for a strawberry milkshake lover.” She said in a teasing tone. 

Lucifer smirked. “Well, I’m certainly not one for vanilla, darling.” He said in a cocky tone, raising his eyebrows at her. 

She scoffed at his dirty comment and shook her head, looking away from him. “I didn’t mean it in a dirty way.” She pointed out. 

He shrugged his shoulders, glancing around the diner for a few moments. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t take it in a dirty way.” He countered. 

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him, amused by his antics. Usually she wan’t one for dirty jokes, finding herself to be more mature than that, but she had to admit he was slightly funny. She smiled to him, silently sitting there for a few moments. “What’s your opinion on chocolate shakes?” She asked curiously, unable to help herself from asking the question. 

“I don’t discriminate.” He almost immediately said, humming as he leaned forwards. “I wouldn’t mind taking a dip into your shake, though.” 

She chuckled softly, shaking her head at him. “In your dreams.” She retorted, watching as he leaned back in his seat again. 

Lucifer smirked to her. “I could only hope to see you in my dreams.” He flirted. 

Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when a coffee was placed in front of her, along with a small bowl of creamers, and Lucifer’s milkshake was placed in front of him. “Thank you.” She said and smiled to the waitress.

The women nodded her head. “Anything else?” She asked, and when they both shook their heads she walked away again. 

Chloe glanced back to Lucifer, catching him already sipping at his milkshake, a happy smile on his lips. She smiled and added a sugar packet to her coffee, as well as a couple creamers. Then, she sipped at it, letting a small hum of contentment escape her lips. 

Lucifer glanced to meet her eyes, pulling his lips away from the straw of his milkshake. “Isn’t it a little too late for coffee?” He asked, tilting his head. 

“Do you really think you should be having all that sugar this late?” She asked in return, watching as he shrugged softly. 

“Touche.” He said, taking another sip of his milkshake before he slid it towards her. “Try it.” He said with a smile. 

Chloe paused for a few moments, hesitating before she set down her coffee and instead grabbed the milkshake. She guided the straw to her mouth and took a small sip. Instantly, she smiled and took another quick sip before sliding it back over to him. “It’s good.” She said, pausing before she picked her coffee back up and held it out to him. “Want some?” She offered. 

Lucifer blinked softly, obviously surprised by her actually offering him some coffee in return. He slowly nodded his head, reaching out and took the mug from her hand, their fingers brushing together briefly. He took a sip of her coffee and smiled at the warmth, letting out a hum. “Nice and warm.” He commented before handing it back to her. 

She nodded her head, taking it back from him and sipped at it some more. It didn’t take them long before they had both finished their drinks, Lucifer leaving a ten dollar bill on the table before they left to return to his car. 

She glanced to him from the passenger’s seat, not exactly wanting to part from him yet. Oddly enough, she enjoyed his presence and wanted to hang out more. 

Lucifer looked nervously to her. “... Need a ride home?” He asked hesitantly.

Chloe instantly noticed that he had that vulnerable look again, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she nodded her head and told him her address. They rode mostly in silence, asides from the hum of the engine. 

Lucifer parked the car in her empty driveway, but didn’t shut off the engine. “Your mother’s not home?” He asked, looking to her curiously. 

She shook her head. “An acting job.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders, pausing briefly. “... Are you gonna go home?” She asked curiously. 

He slowly shook his head and avoided looking to her, instead staring out his window. “No, probably not.” He admitted. 

Chloe hesitated for a moment before sitting up in her seat. “... Want to stay over?” She asked. “Like a friend sleepover?” She restated, smiling a bit. 

Lucifer snapped his head to look to her, looking surprised. “I-...” He cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders. “Sure.” He answered, sounding unsure of himself. 

Chloe nodded her head firmly and smiled to him. “We can watch movies, stay up late. Tomorrow’s a Saturday, anyways.” She stated and opened up the passenger side door. “Come on.” She said, watching as he hesitantly moved to turn the key in the ignition, turning the car off before he got out, following her up to the front door. After a moment of her fumbling with her own keys, she let them in. Chloe let out a sigh of relief once they were inside, moving to close and lock the door behind them once Lucifer was fully inside.

He stood awkwardly in the home, looking around. There was only a small light on from the kitchen, the rest of the house dark. 

She moved forwards, flipping on a couple of light switches and moved into the living room. “Come on.” She coaxed, watching as he slowly moved to follow her. 

“I don’t want to intrude, Chloe.” He said softly when she sat down on the couch.

She looked to him, raising an eyebrow. “It’s fine.” She said, shaking her head. “If you weren’t here, I’d spend the rest of the night alone and in bed.” She paused. “Besides, who else am I going to force to watch movies with me?”

Lucifer paused for a moment before he sat a few inches away from her, sitting stiffly on the couch. “... Of course.” He muttered, watching her as she grabbed the remote to the TV off of the coffee table and turned it on. 

She fumbled with the remote for a few moments before she managed to turn on a channel that specifically played movies. Then, Chloe scooted herself closer to him, their arms pressing together. She paused for a moment to reach behind them, grabbing a blanket and draped it over both of them. “Is that okay?” She asked, looking to him. 

Lucifer looked to her and slowly nodded his head. “Yes.” He answered, forcing himself to smile a bit when she moved closer again, her body pressed up against hisside. 

Chloe didn’t know how long it took her, but she eventually fell asleep, her head leaning against his shoulder and her side pressed firmly into his side. 

Lucifer shifted a bit, trying not to wake her up as he looked to her. He let out a soft sigh when she only snuggled closer to him, her head moving to rest on his chest instead. At this point, she was practically on top of him. He decided not to fight it, wrapping his arms lightly around her and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep as well.


	2. Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was so rare for him that people genuinely cared for him, and he was trying his hardest to appreciate her actions. Even if he didn’t completely know or understand how he should react to them. It was all a bit much, if he was being honest, but he couldn’t seem to force her away from him. So he would accept it, or learn to accept the kindness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this, so I hope in return you're all enjoying reading this!

The last thing Lucifer had expected to come out of last night was for him to end up sleeping on a pretty girls couch without actually sleeping with her. It was a new and odd thing that he found he didn't mind. Perhaps he even preferred the mundane cuddling, the way her head rested on his chest, and the way she would snuggle closer every time he would move even slightly. He smiled to himself when he woke up early the next morning, her arms wrapped around his middle as she snored softly. He had never imagined that she would be the type to snore, but apparently he had been wrong. Lucifer took this moment in time to appreciate the peaceful look on her face, moving to tangle his fingers into her hair. It was like everything else in the world disappeared and he had just one thought; he wanted to stay like that with her forever. 

Lucifer jumped slightly when his phone rang in his pocket, ruining the moment forever and forcing him to pull his hand out of his hair. He frowned as he dug through his pocket, taking out the annoying thing and glared at his phone. He felt his stomach do a flip as he read the screen: ‘15 missed calls from “Mum”’. He gently pushed Chloe away and rose from the couch, ignoring the way she whined. He barely heard her when she asked, “What's wrong?”, his mind lost in the fact that he had somehow missed 15 calls. 

“Lucifer, “ She said firmly, snapping him back to reality and causing him to whip his head around to look to her. She was now sitting up on the couch, her hair an absolute mess, yet he found that she still looked beautiful. “What’s wrong?” She asked again, concern evident on her features. 

He slowly shook his head, letting out a weak chuckle as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and pulled out his keys instead. “Nothing.” He stated simply, figuring it would be better than trying to explain it to the girl. “I have to go.” He stated, despite how much he'd rather stay there with her. It would probably be a far more pleasant morning spent with her, rather than at home- but he knew he needed to leave.

Chloe frowned, getting up from the couch. She could obviously tell something was wrong. “Are you sure?” She asked, now fully awake. “Why don't you stay for breakfast?” She suggested, glancing over towards the kitchen. 

Lucifer seemed to debate it for a moment before he shook his head again, giving her a sad smile. “I wish I could, darling. Believe me.” He said, hesitantly moving torward her and brushed her hair out of her face. “Rain check?” He questioned, hoping there would be another opportunity where he could take her up on her offer. 

She slowly nodded her head, flashing him a small smile. “Yeah, of course.” She said, deciding not to push him, despite how much she'd rather him to stay there with her. “Drive safe.” She said as she watched him walk to the door. 

He turned one last time to look to her, his hand on the doorknob. “Of course, darling.” He said with a small smile. “See you soon.” He said, mostly as a promise, before exiting the house and shutting the door behind himself. 

Lucifer would have much rathered to stay there with her. He found that, on his drive home, he actually really wanted to have breakfast with her. He wanted to watch her cook, for her to playfully tease him with her words. But he knew he needed to go home for the time being. There was always next time for him to watch the lovely girl cook for him. He let out a heavy sigh when he finally pulled into the driveway of his home, eyeing the car parked in front of his wearily. It was his father’s car, meaning he was home. He forced himself to get out of the car, figuring the longer he waited the greater the punishment would be. As soon as he walked through the door, his mother was there. She had a worried expression, rushing forwards to hug her son. 

“Where have you been, Samael?” She asked, shaking her head softly. The women always had this look to her, as if she was faking all emotions. Lucifer could never tell when she was truly being sincere or not.

Lucifer frowned at the name, but decided not to argue with her on the subject. For now. “I stayed at a friend's house after the dance.” He stated, raising a brow to her. He didn't understand the women. There were times where he could stay out for days, never returning home and she wouldn't even bat an eyelash at him. Other times, if he was even five minutes late she would be furious with him, claiming to have been worried sick. It was as if she was only “worried” for him when it suited her. “Where's Dad?” He asked, looking behind her to glance around the home. Most of his siblings had left for the day or had moved out years ago, so the home was empty for the time being.

She took a step back from him and averted her gaze, instead focusing on something on the carpet. “He's waiting in the family room for you.” She said quietly, her expression suddenly serious. “We were both very worried about you.”

Lucifer frowned at her words. How ironic. The two worst parents in the world were worried about his well being. He didn't respond to her, instead he walked around her and into the family room, stopping to stand in the doorway. He watched as his Father looked to him, the other male sitting in his favorite recliner with a book in his lap.

“Why don't you sit, son?” He asked, gesturing with one hand to the empty chair beside him. 

Lucifer hesitated now, not wanting to get too close, but he knew the consequences would be worse if he disobeyed. He forced his legs to begin moving, and walked over to sit in the chair beside his father. He eyed the other male with cautious eyes. “I'm sorry, Dad.” He immediately said, deciding to address the elephant in the room, rather than avoiding it. “I should've called to tell you I was staying at a friend's house. It was rude of me not to.”

He watched as his Father nodded his head, the man’s expression completely unreadable. He couldn't tell if he was angry, upset, or just plain bored. He decided that his father looked bored, more than anything else. Maybe a tinge of anger on his face, but that was it. 

“Yes,” His father began, a frown settling onto his lips. “You should've called. Or perhaps, you should have simply come home.” He said, carefully picking up the book in his lap and closed it.

Lucifer flinched at the sound of the book snapping close, his eyes glancing over to watch as his Father placed it beside him on a small table. The man then rose from his seat, stretching his arms above his head briefly before he straightened himself out and looked to his son. 

“I'm very disappointed in your actions, son” His Father said in a stern tone. “I thought you had known better by now.” He said as he took a step closer. 

Lucifer flinched, wanting desperately to move away, but he forced himself to sit still. He avoided his Father’s gaze and slowly nodded his head. “I'm sorry…” He said softly, but it wasn’t enough. He felt as the air left his lungs when his Father’s fist collided with his side. He shut his mouth tightly, as to keep a yelp of pain concealed. He watched as his Father glared at him for a few seconds more before he walked away, leaving Lucifer alone in the room. He moved his hand and clutched at his side, flinching at the pain that ran through his body as he touched the fresh wound. After a few moments he forced himself to rise to his feet. He had been through much worse abuse, he reminded himself. This was nothing. It didn't even hurt that much, he tried to convince himself. But the ache in his side said differently. 

Lucifer walked slowly up to his room, wanting to be anywhere but in that house. Where else could he go, though? He had nowhere else to run to. Not to mention he had already be punished once today. He didn't need to get in trouble again. 

When Monday came along, he was still in pain. If he didn't know any better, he would say that the pain was getting worse. That was ridiculous though. A silly notion he got into his head to perhaps convince himself to skip school for the day. He ended up going to school anyways, convincing himself it didn't hurt that bad. Besides, he had already missed enough days. Not to mention that his Father certainly wouldn’t be happy if he missed another day of school.

As Lucifer parked his car in the parking lot, he took a few moments to lean back in his seat and close his eyes to relax. He had been on edge since Saturday, having not slept that night or Sunday night. He frowned as he glanced to the clock on the car radio, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He hissed in pain when his arm brushed up against the wound on his side. Over the last couple of days, a dark blue and purple bruise had spread over the wounded area. After some more convincing, he forced himself out of the car and shut the door behind himself and made his way towards the building. The first two classes were alright, seeing he only had to sit there for forty minutes and write a couple of things. Then, it got to third period and he had gym class. He opted out for changing his clothes, deciding against it and instead followed the rest of the class out to the track in his skinny jeans and sweatshirt. Lucifer blinked a bit when he caught sight of Chloe, the girl catching his eye and smiled as she made her way over to him. 

“Hey, Lucifer.” She greeted, walking alongside him down to the track. 

He forced himself to smile. It wasn't like he wasn't happy to see her, his side was just really starting to hurt. “Good morning, darling.” He said in return. 

Chloe hummed a bit, wearing a t-shirt and baggy gym shorts. She had her hair pulled back into a tight pony tail, it swaying from side to side behind her. “Ready to run?” She asked with a small smile.

Lucifer frowned, just then remembering that they ran track on Monday’s. Whoever had decided this was a good idea deserved to be punished in the harshest circle of hell. “Not particularly.” He answered, slipping his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt, ignoring the dull throb of pain in his side as they walked. 

When they got down to the track, they stopped behind a group of people, awaiting to be told when to run. They were all just a flock of sheep, awaiting for instructions from a higher power. Lucifer grimaced when the gym teacher blew into his whistle, motioning with his hand for them to all start. 

Chloe started off slow, looking back to Lucifer until he started running alongside her. 

At first, the pain wasn't as terrible as he thought it would be. It started off as a dull ache, but as they made their way halfway across the track, it started to become harder to breath. It almost felt like someone had wrapped their fists around his lungs and squeezed. Lucifer stopped abruptly, doubling over and clasped his hands to his knees to keep himself from falling forwards.

Chloe blinked, immediately stopping and went to his side, gently resting her hand on the small of his back. “Lucifer?” She asked, and when he said nothing, ragged, harsh breathes coming from him, she continued. “Just breath.” She said, frowning as she leaned down towards him and lead him to sit down on the grass beside the track. “Deep breaths, Lucifer.” She said, hoping to guide him back into a normal way of breathing. 

Lucifer nodded his head, feeling as his throat burned. Finally though, he was able to forced himself back to a semi-normal breathing pattern. He finally looked to her, tears in the corner of his eyes. He cleared his throat and straightened out his back, awkwardly looking away from her.

“Are you okay?” She asked slowly, her hand still on his back. Chloe looked to him with concern in her eyes, urging him to tell her what was wrong.

Lucifer debated whether or not to tell her what had actually happened. He settled on telling a small bluff instead. “I'm fine.” He said, flashing her a fake smile. “Just a bit winded for a moment there.” He stated and slowly began to rise to his feet. As soon as he stood, another pang of pain filled his side and he nearly fell forwards.

Chloe was there to catch him, grabbing him by his arms and helped him to stand up straight. She paused for a moment before she wrapped an arm around his waist and prompted him to start walking. 

Lucifer huffed, looking to her with a slight glare. “I don't believe this is necessary.” He stated. 

Chloe rolled her eyes. “You're obviously hurt and if you're not going to tell me what's wrong, then I'm taking you to the nurse.” She stated firmly.

He immediately stopped walking, shaking his head quickly. “No.” He snapped, and she turned to look to him, still holding him up. “No, nurse, just-” He paused and let out a small sigh. “I'll tell you… but no nurse.”

Chloe eyed him for a few moments before she nodded her head and began to lead him off of the track, avoiding the direction that the teacher was in. The teacher wasn't even paying attention, the man on his phone probably playing a game. She didn't take any risks though, leading Lucifer off the track through the back way and guided him towards the parking lot. With him injured and not able to move very fast, it took them a few minutes before they finally made it. She lead him gently to where her car was parked and helped him to get into the passenger side. She carefully leaned over him to seatbelt him into the car, ignoring the way he glared to her. 

Lucifer honestly didn't understand why she cared so much, but he had to admit it was kind of nice to have someone taking care of him. He let out a heavy sigh as she climbed into the driver's seat, pulling out her keys and started the engine. It didn't take long before they were on the main road, and Lucifer felt a tinge of guilt. She was skipping school just for his sake. “... Chloe.” He said softly, glancing over to her. She had her eyes trained on the road, but she glanced over to him and raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continued. “You could drop me off somewhere- so you can get back to class.” He suggested.

Chloe frowned, shaking her head. “No, Lucifer. I'm not just going to drop you off somewhere.” She stated firmly and glared slightly to him. “You're gonna let me have a look at whatever’s wrong, and if it's too serious you're going to the emergency room. Got it?” she asked, looking to him with determination. It was obvious she wasn't taking any shit, and she most certainly wasn't going to accept no as an answer. 

Lucifer slowly and hesitantly nodded his head. “... I suppose.” He muttered, dreading the idea of going to a hospital. It was bad enough for him to tell her what was wrong, much less go to a hospital filled with people who would simply ask way too many questions. 

Chloe let out a soft sigh, her eyes focused on the road as she continued talking. “I'm worried about you.” She admitted. “Even if we just met, and even though you're a little annoying…. I care about you, Lucifer. And I'm here to help. With anything.”

Lucifer blinked a bit, looking genuinely surprised to hear her say such things. Never in his life could he remember a time that another person had made such statements. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and looked out the passenger side window. “... Okay.” He mumbled, not really believing her. He put on a fake smirk and turned to look to her again. “Taking me to your home again, yeah?” He asked as they pulled into her driveway. “Quite naughty to be here while your Mum’s away.”

Chloe frowned, turning off the engine and looked to him. She knew his flirty attitude and sexual innuendos were a way for him to cover up how he was really feeling. “I'm serious, Lucifer. I do care about you.” She said firmly, watching as the smirk fell from his face and he looked away again. She waited a couple of seconds before she let out a heavy sigh and got out of the car. She returned to the passenger’s side, opening the door for him and helped the male to get out of the car as well. The girl gently wrapped an arm around him again to guide him into her home. She fumbled a bit with her keys, but finally managed to get the door open. After she placed him to sit on the couch, she stood back for a moment to watch him. He looked anything but happy, wearing a frown as his eyes focused on something across the room. Silence over took the space around them, and Lucifer made it obvious he wasn’t going to start talking without some prompting. 

“Lucifer,” the words came out softly and she moved to occupy the empty space on the couch besides him. “I need to know what’s wrong so I can help.” she said. Her words were chosen carefully, and she made sure her tone was a reassuring one. She needed his trust, especially if she was going to help him. 

Still avoiding her gaze, he shifted uncomfortably where he sat, wincing in pain for a moment before he forced himself to focus on something other than the pain. He sat there motionless for a few moments before he finally looked to her. With hesitant and shaking hands, and he hadn’t even realized he was shaking, he moved to lift up both his sweatshirt and the t-shirt he was wearing under it. The bruise was still very much apparent, he knew that, especially when Chloe’s eyes shot to his side and widened. Her face was almost comical, if the circumstances were different, he noted. He stayed silent, simply waiting for her to speak first. But she didn’t, and suddenly he was very concerned. Lucifer stared into her eyes, as if to urge her into saying something. Anything was better than the uncomfortable silence that had filled the room. It left him feeling restless, and he shifted uncomfortably again, wincing at the pain in his side. The male released his clothing and let it fall to cover up the wound again, and Chloe’s eyes snapped back up to his eyes. 

“... Chloe.” He croaked, absolutely hating the tears that burned his eyes, threatening to fall and show just how weak he was. He forced them back, blinking his eyes a few times to will them away. 

The girl cleared her throat. “Lucifer-” she said, but lost anything she was about to say as she stared into his eyes. She shook her head as if to shake a coherent thought from herself. “What happened?” She finally breathed, and he felt a slight tinge of relief. 

Lucifer let out a weak chuckle, shaking his head lightly and looked away from her again. He couldn’t bare to look in her eyes. For a moment he was about to tell her, tell her everything- he felt like she was maybe the easiest person in the world to talk to. Perhaps the one person he could learn to trust. But then any will he had to tell her left him as his phone started to ring. He felt as the color drained from his face, and he snapped his head to look down at his jean pocket. “Uh-” he began and cleared his throat. “I have to get that.” He said weakly and rose from where he sat, yet again ignoring the pain. He turned away from her, walking into the kitchen before he slipped his phone out of his pocket. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the name that flashed across the screen was not “Mum” or “Dad”, but rather “The Annoying Brother” with a devil emoticon. He smiled a bit, suddenly grateful his brother still worried for him, and decided to humor the other male by answering the call. 

“My, my,” he said into his phone as he held it up to his ear, peeking into the other room where Chloe was. The girl had her hands in her lap, waiting patiently for him as she stared at the floor. It was quite adorable, actually. “I didn’t expect you to be calling me. Ever. Amenadiel.” 

His brother let out a chuckle on the other end of the call. “I bet you didn’t.” He said, only pausing for a brief couple of seconds before he continued to speak. “But I know how rough it can be at home. How is everything?” 

Lucifer felt his jaw clench at the mention of his home life. Amenadiel of course knew exactly what it was like, but his brother had avoided the stress of it by instead attending a boarding school overseas. “Fine, brother.” He answered, forcing the words out of his mouth. He hated lying, hated it with all of his being and usually never did it, but this was just a small bluff. “How’s Europe?” He questioned, deciding to change the subject. 

Amenadiel hummed for a brief moment. “Good.” He concluded easily. “Quite exciting. Yet I’m usually too busy studying to go out and sight see.” He paused for a moment. “I’m on my lunch break right now…. Are you?” 

“Kind of.” He said, smirking a bit. “I might be skipping my gym class for the sake of a hot young lady.” He said and he glanced to Chloe, this time catching her staring at him. 

His brother let out a sigh he could only take for annoyance. “Lucifer, you know Dad’s going to be upset with that.” He said, and Lucifer frowned, turning his back to Chloe. “Why can’t you just play by the rules for once?”

“You don’t know anything, brother.” He hissed, his hand fisting the phone tightly and he felt like he just might break it. “I’m not in school because of Father.” He growled, low and quiet so Chloe hopefully wouldn’t hear him. 

Amenadiel paused, weighing his response. “What do you mean?” He asked, concern in his voice. 

Lucifer let out a bitter chuckle. “I guess you could say dear old Dad didn’t keep his promise on never hitting his children again.” He said flatly, and paused for a moment. “... I have to go.” He settled with, not wanting to continue this conversation any longer. He was done with it, bored with where it was going. “Goodbye, brother.” He stated and pulled the phone away from his ear before he could hear anything else, immediately hanging up the call. After spending a minute in the kitchen to regain his composure, he returned to Chloe’s side on the couch. He gave her a small, hesitant smile. 

“Sorry about that, love.” He said softly, moving a hand through his hair to tame the mess that was on his head. Usually he would have styled it in the morning, but that particular morning he hadn’t had the energy for it. “My brother,” he said and waved the phone in his hand before he leaned forwards and placed it on the coffee table. “Poor saps worried about me.” He let out a light chuckle.

Chloe nodded her head. “It’s fine.” She said and returned the smile, leaning back into the couch to get comfortable. She wanted him to feel comfortable as well, but she understood if he didn’t. It was obvious to her that he had trust issues, and she didn’t want to break what little trust she already had. She wanted to earn all of his trust, to have him trust her completely. 

“... Where were we?” He asked, speaking up before she could. He seemed to lean his body towards her, as if to show her this was him trusting her. At least for now.

“First, I want to know about that bruise on your side.” She said, pausing for a few moments. “... How long have you had it?” She asked, rather than letting her curiosity get the better of her. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Besides, it was much more important to make sure he wasn’t internally bleeding out. 

He blinked a bit, glancing away from her and cleared his throat. “Saturday.” He answered, obviously hesitant to give her the answer. 

She nodded her head. “I know it’s cliche, but on a scale from one to ten, how bad does it hurt?” She asked. 

Lucifer debated for a few moments before he answered her. “Five. Maybe six.” He said truthfully, moving to carefully lean himself back into the couch. “It hurt like a seven when I ran, though.” He said and gave a short chuckle.

Chloe nodded her head, but didn’t laugh. “Can I see?” She asked. 

He hesitated now, eyeing her suspiciously, as if she was going to lash out and hurt him. 

“I just want to make sure you don’t have internal bleeding.” She clarified and he nodded before he lifted up his clothing again. This time, he took the two items off, lifting them above his head and placed them off to the side. 

Chloe eyed his wound wearily, frowning at it before she leaned in to get a closer look at it. She let out a soft sigh. It didn’t look as bad as she had originally thought it was. “Good news is you probably won’t die.” She stated, and glanced to his eyes. “Bad news, you probably have a broken rib.” 

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at her, pausing for a few moments. “How do you know by just looking?” He asked curiously. 

She smiled to him. “My Dad was a cop.” She answered, pausing for a few moments and looked away from him. “He used to take me with him to work-” She glanced to him and continued. “… But stopped when I got hurt on the job. I fell, broke a rib.”

He nodded his head, feeling a tinge of anger at the mention of a Father figure. “Was?” He asked. “Did he quit the force?” He asked, pausing slightly. “Walk out on you and your Mum?” Of course, he assumed the worst.

She blinked a bit, looking surprised by his questions, not to mention the anger that took over his features. “Erm- no.” She shook her head and avoided his eyes, staring at an empty mug that resided on the coffee table. “He passed away.” She said quietly. 

Lucifer shut his mouth, awkwardly looking away and nodded his head. He frowned softly, but forced his own feelings aside. “I’m sorry.” He said quietly, suddenly feeling the urge to get up and leave. Especially when he looked back to her to see a pained look on the girls face. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” He shook his head. “.... Are you alright?” He asked hesitantly. 

Chloe cleared her throat, quickly nodding her head and sat up straight. “Fine, I’m fine.” She answered and forced a smile onto her lips as she looked to him again. “Let’s just focus on your injury, okay?” She asked, and he nodded his head slowly in response. 

It took the two a full twenty minutes of arguing before Chloe finally convinced him that he had to go to the hospital, that there was absolutely no way to get himself out of it. She was mentally exhausted by the time he finally agreed to the idea of going to the hospital. 

“Fine!” He finally snapped, moving to pull both his t-shirt and sweatshirt over his head, ignoring his own anxiety about the whole situation. He hated the idea of going to a hospital, hated thinking about what would come out of it and what would happen afterwards. “Fine.” He said again, but in a calmer manner. 

Chloe stood up with him, moving to wrap an arm around his waist, despite the glare he sent her way. She lead him carefully to the door, but stopped when she felt how tense he was. “Lucifer,” she said softly and looked to him, keeping a hand on his arm. “I’ll be with you the entire time, okay?” 

Lucifer looked to her, a shocked expression on his face for a few moments before he masked it with annoyance. “Even in the bathroom?” He teased, smirking a bit, but avoided her gaze. 

She rolled her eyes. “Ha ha.” She said flatly and opened the door, helping him through it. She shut it behind them before leading him over to her car, once again helping him get in. When she leaned over him to seat belt him into the car, she heard him murmur a “thank you”. She almost thought she had to be hearing things, but then she looked to him and he was staring at her. “... For what?” She asked. 

“For-” He paused to clear his throat. “.... Being here. Being kind.” He said softly, giving her a small smile. It was so rare for him that people genuinely cared for him, and he was trying his hardest to appreciate her actions. Even if he didn’t completely know or understand how he should react to them. It was all a bit much, if he was being honest, but he couldn’t seem to force her away from him. So he would accept it, or learn to accept the kindness. 

Chloe nodded her head firmly. Instead of backing away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a gentle hug. She squeezed him lightly. “You don’t have to thank me.” She said with a small smile. “Now let’s get you all better, okay?” She asked as she pulled back from the hug.

Lucifer looked to her and slowly nodded his head. He smiled weakly to her, unable to process anything. The hug had overwhelmed him just a bit, not to mention her words. He just didn’t know how to respond, to deal with everything. “Okay.” He forced himself to say, and then she was shutting his door and moving to climb into the driver’s seat. Then the car was started, and they were on their way to the hospital.

The dreaded, icky hospital.


End file.
